Ravichandran Ashwin reveals his chances of comeback to Indian ODI side after injury to Axar Patel
R. Ashwin and Axar Patel (Source-Twitter)
The Indian cricket team is all set to play the Asia Cup 2023 Final on Sunday. The match will be between the host Sri Lanka and India. Ahead of the final, there was a major injury concern for the Indian team. Axar Patel has been ruled out and replaced by Washington Sundar for the final game.
Axar Patel, who scored a battling 42 on Friday against Bangladesh, was dealing with a few niggles. The Indian Cricket Board instantly withdrew the 29-year-old and sent in Sundar as the replacement. While everyone is anxious to know the extent of injury, Ravichandran Ashwin has spoken about his likely chances of a comeback.
Veteran off-spinner speaks about his undying commitment to Team India –
Ashwin was recently speaking live on his YouTube channel. Ashwin, who is a veteran of 94 Test matches, spoke about his commitment towards the national setup. With Axar getting injured, many felt this opened the door for Ashwin to make a comeback to the ODI side.
Ashwin said, “I have been playing for the last 14-15 years for Team India. I have had my great moments. I have had my fair share of failures too. But I have tattooed Indian cricket close to my heart. If they require my service even tomorrow, I will be ready and will give my 100 per cent.”
Washington Sundar has been flown to Colombo as a cover for the 29-year-old Axar Patel. The Indian team management has made it clear that they aren’t seeking a replacement at this stage. As per sources, the all-rounder suffered a strain on his left quadriceps during the game against Bangladesh. Despite the fitness issues, Axar Patel batted and fought valiantly to score 42 runs off 34 balls.
India next play Australia in the three-match ODI series starting on 22nd September. There is a good chance that Axar Patel could be rested for the series. The move could be to preserve the player for the ODI World Cup 2023. Axar Patel has been one of India’s key players in the ODI format with the bat in recent times.
Ravichandran Ashwin will be seen playing test cricket towards the end of the year. The man from Chennai turned 37 on Sunday. Ashwin is just 11 wickets shy of reaching 500 test wickets. He would become the second fastest to the mark in the history of test cricket.
